Rachel Wall
Rachel Wall, born in rural Pennsylvania, is noted as the last woman to be hanged in Massachusetts in 1789 and is recognized as a unique figure in pirate history. Raised in a strict Presbyterian household, she eloped with fisherman George Wall and settled in Boston, where she later became involved in piracy. Wall's criminal activities began when she joined her husband and his crew, utilizing tactics to deceive vessels for plundering along New England trade routes. Together, they committed numerous acts of piracy, resulting in significant theft and violence.
After her husband's disappearance during a storm and subsequent abandonment, Rachel attempted to lead a legitimate life but found herself drawn back into crime, robbing vessels in Boston Harbor. Ultimately, her criminal activities led to her trial and conviction for robbery, despite her claims of innocence. On October 8, 1789, Wall was executed publicly, leaving behind a cautionary confession aimed at discouraging women from engaging with immoral influences. Rachel Wall's legacy is significant as she remains the only documented woman pirate operating solely in New England, contrasting with her more infamous contemporaries like Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Her story has been romanticized over time, contributing to the lore surrounding piracy.
Subject Terms
Rachel Wall
American pirate
- Born: 1760
- Birthplace: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
- Died: October 8, 1789
- Place of death: Boston, Massachusetts
Major offenses: Highway robbery and accessory to murder
Active: 1781, 1782, 1787-1789
Locale: Atlantic Ocean near the Isles of Shoals; Boston, Massachusetts
Sentence: Death by hanging
Early Life
Rachel Wall (RAY-chehl wahl) grew up in rural Pennsylvania on her family’s farm. Few biographical facts other than those in her 1789 confession were recorded. Her pious Presbyterian parents expected their children to conform to their religious expectations for moral behavior. Wall disliked the rigidity of their lifestyle. She met fisherman George Wall, a veteran of the American Revolution, who convinced her to elope.
After the couple wed, they resided in Philadelphia, then were chosen, before settling in Boston. During her husband’s periodic absences on a fishing vessel, Wall worked as a maid on Beacon Hill. She overheard gossip that her husband was robbing commercial vessels, not fishing. He boasted about riches he had obtained from plundering when he returned to Boston.
Criminal Career
Wall’s involvement in piracy began in 1781 when George Wall schemed how he and five friends, all veteran revolutionary privateers, could use their wartime experiences seizing vessels to obtain cargoes to sell for profit. He selected the Isles of Shoals as a base. The pirates’ tactic was to steal a sloop and pretend to be a fishing family. During stormy weather, they would anchor their craft in an inlet. After the storm dissipated, the group knocked their masts askew, displayed a distress flag, and drifted into open water near New England trade routes. Rachel’s role was to stand on the deck of the sloop and plead for assistance.
George and his crew raided the ship that attempted to rescue them, murdering the captain and crew, stealing money and cargo, and sinking the vessel. Rachel and her fellow pirates then sold the stolen goods in New England towns. She accompanied her husband and his raiders on pirating sprees during which twelve ships were seized, twenty-four people murdered, and six thousand dollars in cash plus cargo looted. According to several sources, a September, 1782, hurricane swept George to sea and ended the Walls’ piracy. However, in her confession, Rachel commented that she had aided her husband’s escape from Boston’s jail in 1785 before he abandoned her.
After that time, Rachel resumed honest employment as a maid. Although she vowed to behave morally, she found thievery difficult to resist. Starting in the spring of 1787, she robbed vessels anchored at Boston’s harbor. She stole gold, money, and jewelry from ships while captains and crews slept.
Legal Action and Outcome
The precise crime resulting in Wall’s execution was unclear. Her confession referred to robbing travelers. Some sources indicated that a witness identified Wall as the culprit who had mugged a woman in the summer of 1789. Wall proclaimed her innocence. A judge ruled Wall guilty at an August 25, 1789, trial.
On October 7, with her execution scheduled for the next day, Wall signed a confession and apologized for various sins but asserted she had not committed the robbery for which she had been convicted. In her cautionary statement, Wall hoped her execution might prevent vulnerable women from associating with immoral people encouraging them to become corrupt. On October 8, 1789, authorities hanged Wall during a public execution on Boston Common’s gallows.
Impact
According to the New England Pirate Museum, Rachel Wall is the only woman pirate on record who plundered solely in the New England region. Other women pirates preyed mostly on vessels in the Caribbean Sea or in English waters, occasionally traveling to New England for choice captures.
Wall was not as well known as other women pirates, especially Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Some historians suggest that perhaps this is because Wall apologized for her actions and was less bloodthirsty than her contemporaries. Writers have romanticized Wall’s exploits and have incorporated them into pirating lore.
Bibliography
Druett, Joan. She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Discusses the credibility of accounts portraying Wall and suggests why her crimes remain less known than those of more famous women pirates.
Lorimer, Sara. Booty: Girl Pirates on the High Seas. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002. Biographical chapter featuring Wall is based on an interpretation of her confession. Map and art elaborate Wall’s pirating experiences.
Williams, Daniel E. Pillars of Salt: An Anthology of Early American Criminal Narratives. Madison, Wis.: Madison House, 1993. Scholarly study includes text of Life, Last Words, and Dying Confession of Rachel Wall and an illustration of that broadside preserved by the American Antiquarian Society.